I’m a liar. I tell my children “white lies”. My go-to lie is reserved for my 2-year old son when he plays some pre-bedtime Stall Ball. He will ask for jellybeans. I tell him we’re out and must go to the store to get some later. He buys it. He goes to his next Stall Ball tactic and says “I feel hot again. I have a fever.” and I say the thermometer is broken so Daddy must fix it later. He buys it. I use the “we don’t have anymore” lie a lot…like if he’s had 3 cookies and is asking for 3 more.
I feel a twinge of guilt each time I do it and remember that lying was the #1 worst offense in my house growing up. I may regret that my white lie telling will come back to haunt me – I hope not!
Here are some “white lies”, courtesy of Redbook Magazine. These mamas were asked “what lies do you tell?” and they shared what they have cooked up for their children.
- “That the museum is closed on Sundays so they can clean the dinosaur bones. I couldn’t take another visit.”
- “If they don’t pick up their toys, then the vacuum will suck them up when I clean.”
- “At bedtime, I tell my daughter that if she doesn’t close her eyes, they’ll dry out like raisins.”
- “I used to read the TV listings to my daughter: ‘News, news, news. Looks like no cartoons are on today!’ “
- “My kids think that the ice cream truck only plays music when it’s out of ice cream.”
Smarties, what white lies do you tell your kids?
1 comment
My three year old still sucks his thumb and at night when he can get away with it I tell him he will turn into a monster if he doesn’t try to stop. Then I load him up with things to hold onto for distraction. I swear its like getting someone to stop smoking.